Musings from Douglas J. McLeod, the author of the "Gary Celdom Case Journals" series, and his pen names: C.D. Melley, romance and poetry writer, and Crimson Nuage, author of the "Fiery Freedom" series.

Monday, 15 July 2013

The Division Report: July 15, 2013

Another week has come and gone, and I've been busy toiling away at my desk and in various libraries across the city. Not much has gone on with the editing and reading front, so I will hand this off to my romance novelist alter ego, C. D. Melley.

Thank you, Douglas. Work on "The Prairie Fire Within" has been coming along quite nicely over the past week. As of Sunday afternoon, I have written over 23,300 words for the story. I'm hoping to have the first draft of 50,000+ words complete by the end of the month. In the meantime, in advance of the book's eventual completion, I have taken the opportunity to create my own author/fan page on Facebook. On it, I have included a brief synopsis of what my book is about. For those interested, you can check it out by clicking here. Back to you, Douglas.
Thank you kindly, C. D. I can't wait to read the finished project.

If you've been following me on here, you know I've been in the process of re-editing my first novel, Scarlet Siege, for eventual re-release. A couple weeks ago, I posted an event on my author/fan page where I would be revealing the new cover for the title when it makes it way back onto online marketplaces. Today is that day.

So, if you haven't tuned into my Facebook pages as of yet, here is what the new cover looks like...

For those not familiar with the story, allow me to give a description...

Gary Celdom is a 51-year old detective who has been with the Toronto P.D. for over 25 years. There are a few little quirks about him, though. He doesn't always follow things from the book, and he also suffers from emotional and psychological trauma because he is often visited by the ghost of his fiancée, Karen Prairie. She was assassinated on their wedding day 20 years prior, and still comes around to give him grief and advice. Also by Gary's side is his current "professional partner," Jessica Amerson, who has been experiencing some mixed emotions about her colleague.

In Scarlet Siege, Gary has decided to take some time off to attend a fan convention in town for his favourite television series. While there, he runs into an old friend, Phil Bennett, and they set out to enjoy the weekend's events together. Unfortunately, things go awry when it is learned one of the main actors has decided not to attend the festivities; a development that angers a group of fans. They decide to revolt, and the entire convention becomes a hostage situation, with the rebellious faction demanding the aforementioned actor make an appearance, or they will start killing off the attendees.

The story is the conflict Gary experiences since he's been injected into the situation as an undercover officer. We learn of the dynamics of Gary's character; as well as, the relationship difficulties experienced by not only Detective Celdom, but of his friend's inside the convention, and Jessica who is back at the Division, receiving text updates from Gary on the situation.

I'm hoping to have "Siege" available for re-release within the next month or so. In the meantime, don't forget to check out my author/fan page on Facebook for all the latest in the Gary Celdom news, and check out C. D. Melley's author/fan page on there for updates on "Prairie Fire". We'll see you again next weekend. Hasta!